Are Google, Apple & Facebook Really The New Media Villains? What Do You Think?

Are Google, Apple & Facebook Really The New Media Villains? Some Believe They Are

Once upon a time it was Microsoft who was perceived as the Evil Empire, but with Bill Gates and his foundation giving away Billions, some are saying there are new evils among us. In a recent article over at The Wrap, they interviewed Nicholas Carr. Mr. Carr is a technology writer who has written the book ‘”The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google.” His take on Google, Apple and Facebook seem to illustrate that these corporations are changing. A change that he sees as evil.

In the article he states that:

“These companies have wrapped themselves in a lot of the idealism surrounding the web, but their business realities are beginning to be in conflict with the rhetoric they use to promote themselves,” says Carr.

Apple’s troubles are linked with the iPhone 4 roll-out this summer. And it’s not just the engineering problems: The company’s (read: Steve Jobs’) combative response to customer complaints created enormous friction. That was on top of its decision to call for a police raid on a Gizmodo.com editor’s house after a prototype of the phone leaked. •

Google has presented itself as defender of net neutrality. Last week, however, the company backed away from that stance by entering into a joint agreement with Verizon on a policy for handling internet content. This plan could lead to movie studios being charged extra if they want to deliver high-quality downloads of films, as well as medical companies, sports and gaming.

Facebook found itself embroiled in a debate over privacy concerns earlier this year. News that a loophole in the service’s privacy settings allowed advertisers to access user identification and personal information prompted a massive backlash.

In my personal opinion this is far from being evil when compared to what Microsoft has done in the past. The Redmond giant at times have used their clout to threaten OEM’s forcing them into using Windows. They have successfully used their huge bankroll to crush competitors by threatening to sue them or by just buying up the competition. Lawsuits by the DOJ is a good example of how the government has tried to keep a leash on Microsoft.